Tuesday, May 19, 2009

I recently participated in an end of release cycle product demonstration. It was a wonderful experience and I was proud of the team’s achievement. It’s a great feature that will make a significant impact to our customers and to our business.During the product demonstration, I couldn’t help but reflect back on the first several sprint demonstrations. Those were much different. Whole screens were thrown to the scrap pile, basic flows were challenged, and even seemingly simple functionality caused excitement among the stakeholders.

As the sprints went along, the conversations deepened, the team solidified, and the product began to mature. With each sprint, the discussions evolved away from major issues and towards minor suggestions and tweaks. During the last product demonstration, the feedback was positive and only a few cosmetic changes were suggested.

The technical lead remarked that we were doing pretty well if that was all the feedback we received. I had to agree. On my way out of the room, I remarked that we had experienced a “harsh start-up and a smooth landing.” Walking back to my office, I started thinking more about the factors that led to this point in the project.

Here are a few ideas for you to consider:

TrustIf a feature isn’t working, is confusing, or just plain wrong, anyone on the team or in the stakeholder community has an obligation to say so. This may appear to be an obvious truth, but it doesn’t always happen.

Someone assumes another will catch it. Someone feels that no one will listen. The list of reasons for remaining silent goes on and on. As a leader, you can create an environment where people will stand up and use their voice. Make it clear that all feedback provided (respectfully) is welcome. People provide feedback if they trust that they will be heard, and that they will not be judged.

In short, this trust is what leads to honesty. You have a vital part in making this happen.

My product, your ideaOur sprint teams welcome input from all sources: customers, internal stakeholders, and each team member. I’ve seen QA folks make design recommendations, customers provide workflow suggestions, and internal groups offer changes to improve service and supportability. The teams absorb the input willingly. They do so because they know it ultimately leads to a better result.

They aren’t interested in whose idea anything is. They are interested in producing a quality product that delights our customers and helps the business. This ego-less attitude has to come from you – their leader.

Praise the team each time they incorporate a suggestion from outside the team. Help them understand their contribution to a culture that promotes others to contribute. Encourage them and reward them when they respond to input from others. Their job is to produce a great product – not pretend to know everything. That often means listening to others.

Act on feedbackDo you want to encourage feedback? Then act on it when you receive it. At our demonstrations, I often hear the team place suggestions (and criticisms) they receive into their sprint backlogs. They then prioritize the feedback accordingly. The person who provided the input knows immediately that they are heard, and that the team and the business are going to treat their input with respect.

Make sure everyone knows that not everything raised will get into the release, or even into the backlog. On the other hand, not everything is ignored. It is critical that each person understand the rationale for why a suggestion does or does not make it.

Equally important is assuring the team that all feedback is regarded equally, regardless of the source. I have been told on more than one occasion that my input will go into the backlog – not immediately addressed just because I’m the VP. And that’s OK. I should have to justify a request just as much as any other stakeholder.

In the end, build a culture that honors feedback, regardless of where it originates, and does something with it. You will also likely see the degree of ownership among your stakeholders skyrocket. They will be transformed from talking about “the” product to talking about “our” product.